Means for fastening vibrators to hands of masseurs



sept 1.5, 192s.- 1,553,332

.w- G. SHELTON IEANS FOR FASTENING VIBRATORS TO HANDS 0F IIASSEURS Puam1s, 1923 INVENTOR www@ Jam,

By ttorneys,

Patented Sept. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM GENTRY SHELTON, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y. p

MEANS FOR FASI'ENING` VIBRATORS TO HANDS 0F MASSEURS.

Application filed July 13, 1923. Seria1 Ne. 651,297.

To all wkomz't may concern.' 1.

Be it known that I, ViLLTAM GnN'ruY SHELTON, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Meansfor Fastening Vibrators to Hands of Masseurs, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to devices for producing vibrations of masseurshands, and provides improvements in the means for fastening thesevibrators to the hands of the users.

Heretofore straps of rubber, leather or fabric have been used forattaching or binding vibrators of the character in question to the handsof users-mostly .masseurs and barhers. Lately health authorities in NewYork city have prohibited the use of such vibrators because straps ofthe kind mentioned are held to be unsanitary.

It has been proposed to substitute clamping devices for the prohibitedstraps, but these are not satisfactory, owing to the discomfort tothehands of the users, to the constrictions upon users vin the manipulationof their hands, and to the hurts administered to customers undergoingmassage by parts of the clamp strikingl a bony part of their anatomy. v

As the result of considerable experimentation applicant has produced afastening means functioning very similarly to the straps heretofore inuse, which is regarded by the health authorities as complying withsanitary requirements, and the parts of which that come into contactwith the skin of customers and the hand of the user may be sterilized byheat without damaging said parts.

An embodiment of said invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the vibratorfastened to the hand of a masseur.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the attachingmeans, together with the head ofthe vibrator.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail view.

Referring to said drawings, numeral 10 designates a part of a vibratoradapted to bear against the back of a hand, and is conveniently a plateformed integrally with the casing or head 12of the vibrator, as shown inthe drawings. The vibrator may have the form of a weight 14, mountedeccentrically in the casing 12, and driven by a flexible shaft 16.

Straps 20, 21 are provided for fastening the plate 10 against the backof the hand. These straps 20, 21 are preferably in the form of flatstrips of metal or like material, attached in suitable manner to a partof the vibrator, as the plate 10. l

Resilient means are provided permitting of the hand beingV insertedbetween said straps 20, 21 and the back of said plate 10. These meansare preferably l springs 26 between the straps 20, 21 and the plate 10,these springs being preferably coil-springs which pass over the backofthe plate 10 and are held in place thereon by straps or guides 28.These'guides 28 are conveniently metal strips having hooked ends 29adapted to project through a slot 30'in the plate 10, and engage theunderside thereof, as 'shown most clearly in Fig. 4. The straps orguides 28 ymay be easily removed or replaced by squeezing the ends 29toward one another, and lifting into and out of place, thereby providinga read7 means for releasing the straps 20, 21 for `removal andreplacement. AThe removed straps 20, 21 maybe thus convenientlysterilized.

AThe straps20, 21 are upturned at vtheir ends, as indicated at 83, andpreferably have ears 35 pivotally connected thereto in a manner topermit the straps 20,21 to swing on an axis longitudinally thereof, asindicated at 37, which facilitates the adjustment of the straps to thehand. The ears 35 are preferably formed with a recess 39 adapted toreceive a pin 40, and the end s of the coil springs 26 are convenientlyattached to the pins 40 thro-ugh slots 42 in said ears.

The underside of the plate 10 is prefer-` ably cushioned for comfort.These cushions are preferably sponge rubber blocks 50, 51, and coactwith the springs 26 to hold the plate snugly against the back of thehand. These rubber cushions may in fact constitute the sole resilientmeans by which the straps 50, 51 are caused to rmly or snugly fasten theplate 10 to the hand. These rubber cushions 50, 51 are convenientlyfastened to the plate 10 by means of wire loops 53 passing through thecushions, and through the plate, and having the ends thereof bent overinto the plate, as indicated at 55, Fig. 4.

The straps 20, 21 which act to hold the 1 plate l0 on which the vibratoris carried, snugly and firmly against the back of the users hand, lieflat across the palm of the hand and in such positions as not ordinarilyto come into contact with the body or face of a person being massaged,and if these straps do come into contact with the body or face of aperson undergoing treatment, they do not cause injury or annoyance.Moreover, the straps are of a nature ,and construction not to readilyreceive andfharbor germs, and are readily removable for and susceptibleto sterilization by means of heat, or other means of sterilization.Instead of metal, strips of ot-her material, as of Celluloid, hardrubber', bakelite and other horn-like substances, may be iised for thestrips 20, 21, and these substances are considered as within the scopeofequivalents for the metal, which is preferred, andv recited in theclaims.

The invention may receive other 'forms of embodiment than that hereinspecifically illustrated and described.

lhat is claimed is:

1..Means for fastening vibrators to the v hands of masseurs comprising apart o'f the vibrator adapted to bear against the back of the hand, andstraps for fastening said part in place, said straps comprising stripsof metal adapted to cross-the ,face of the hand, and a spring attachedto the ends of said strap adapted to draw said strap toward saidvibrator and against the hand when between said vibrator part and strap,and ears pivoted to the ends of said strap, and permitting swingingmovement of said strap, said spring being connected to`said strapsthrough said ears;

2. Means for fastening vibrators to the hands of masseurs comprising apart of the vibrator adapted to bear against the back of the hand, andstraps for fastening said part in place, saidstraps comprising strips ofmetal adapted to cross the face of the hand, and a spring attached tothe ends of said strap adapted to draw said strap toward said vibratorand against the hand when be tween said vibrator' 'part and strap, saidspring being a coil spring adapted to cross the back of said vibratorpart, and means for detachably connecting said strap to said vibratorpart, whereby it may be removed for sterilization.

3. Means for fastening vibrators to the hands of masseurs comprising apart of the vibrator adapted to bear against the back of the hand, andstraps for fastening said part in place, said straps comprising stripsof metal adapted to cross the face of the hand, and a spring attached tothe ends of said strap adapted to draw said .strap toward said vibratorand against the hand when between said vibrator part and strap, earspivoted to the ends of said straps, and permitting swinging movement ofsaid strap, said spring being connected to said strap through said earsand being a coil spring adapted to cross the back of said vibratorpart', and means for detachably connecting said strap to said vibratorpart, whereby it may be removed for sterilization.

ll. Means for fastening vibrators to the hands of masseurs comprising apart of the vibrator adapted to bear against the back of the hand, andstraps for fastening said part in place, said straps comprising stripsof metal adapted to -cross the face of the hand, a yspring attached tothe ends of said strap adapted to draw said strap toward said vibratorand against the hand when between said vibrator part and strap, andmeans for detacliably connecting said strap to said vibrator part,whereby it may be removed for sterilization.`

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

WILLIAM @ENTRY si-iELToN.

